Etihad Airways appoints Fatma Al Mehairi

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has appointed Fatma Al Mehairi as General Manager for Canada.

Fatma is the first female Emirati to be named
General Manager of a region at the airline. In total, more than 130 Emirati
women are employed in various management development programs as part of the
airline’s workforce.

Based in Toronto, Fatma will
lead the further development of the airline’s commercial strategy in Canada.
She will also be responsible for further growing Etihad Airways’ relationships
with its travel trade and corporate customers and will report to
Martin Drew, Senior Vice President of The Americas for Etihad Airways.

Fatma joined
Etihad Airways in 2010 as part of the airline’s Graduate Management Program, where
she was trained in multiple aspects of
Etihad Airways’ fast-growing operations.

After successfully completing the
program, she accepted a post in Paris, where she spent
three years in commercial operations as a Business Development Manager and
subsequently as a Corporate Account Manager. Fatma was
then appointed as Assistant General Manager, where she has been responsible for
executing sales and marketing strategy; driving team performance; and
maintaining business development.

“As the national airline of the UAE, Etihad
Airways is committed to developing a successful Emirati leadership team and we value
the important roles that Emirati women have at our airline,” said Mr. Martin
Drew, Senior Vice President of The Americas - Etihad Airways. “We are
especially pleased to announce the appointment of Fatma to this key leadership position.
Fatma has a wealth of experience with Etihad Airways and her dedication to our
company makes her an invaluable addition to the team in Toronto and in The
Americas.”

Etihad Airways currently operates three
flights per week between Abu Dhabi and Toronto on Tuesdays, Thursdays and
Saturdays.

Fatma, who assumes her new role this
week, replaces Craig Thomas, who has been appointed Vice President - U.S.A. for
Etihad Airways.

“As a proud graduate of Etihad
Airways’ Graduate Managers Development Program and now a part of the
Americas team, I look forward to further increasing our already strong
commercial ties within Canada – an important market for our airline – and
raising awareness among corporate customers about the unmatched world-class
product and hospitality offerings we provide for our guests,” said Ms. Al
Mehairi.